


Guilt

by iknowthekoolaidflavor



Category: Hamilton - Miranda (Broadway Cast) RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Firefighters, F/M, Firefighters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-20
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2020-03-08 20:05:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18901723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iknowthekoolaidflavor/pseuds/iknowthekoolaidflavor
Summary: When a building up the street catches fires, two paths cross under difficult circumstances. A little angst, then fluff.





	Guilt

As soon as you saw the news that night, you knew it would be a long one. A building several blocks away had caught on fire. The reason was unknown, but for most of the night, residents of the building and firefighters were in and out of the hospital. After you finished with one patient, there was always another waiting. **  
**

When the last group came in, your team was split into smaller groups to lessen the load. It was four in the morning, you were exhausted, but you needed to check in on one more patient before you could get a nap.

The firefighter one you operated on earlier was still in bed, snoring softly. A piece of glass pierced his suit, puncturing his side, yet somehow it missed any major organs. You had to operate on his leg as well which was propped up on a pillow.

His two friends jumped up as soon as you entered.

“I’m Dr. (Y/L/N)”, you said shaking their hands

“I’m Rafa. This is Oak”

“Nice to meet you”

You started checking Daveed’s vitals, noticing how their eyes never left the two of you.

“The injuries he sustained from the fall aren’t as bad as they could be. His vitals are improving better than I expected”

Oak seemed relieved, Rafa, on the other hand, did not.

“How long will he have to stay here?”, Oak asked trying to defuse Rafa’s anxiety

“He has to stay overnight so we can keep an eye on him and at least two more as a precaution, but you guys can visit him as much as you want”

You smiled at Rafa and Oak, who seemed to relax at your statement.

“I can imagine it must be difficult seeing him like this, but I think he’ll pull through. I have very high hopes for Daveed”

“Is it alright for me to stay here?”, Rafa asked hesitantly

The entire time you were in the room, he never left Daveed’s side. To you, they seemed to be best friends or something more.

“Yes, let me know if you need anything”

“Is there anything else we need to know?”, Oak asked

“He’ll need to come back for physical therapy if he wants to return to work. I’ve already written a prescription for him”, you smiled softly as you hand the paper over to Oak

He slips it in his pocket, letting out a quiet thank you. Before you left, you noticed Rafa was still by Daveed’s side, face in his hands. He was mumbling to himself in an attempt to keep himself together. Oak sat by his side, just as he started to break down. You quietly left the room.

The entire night you were faced with many patients that would make full recoveries and a few  that would not. The latter always took a heavy toll on you. You knew Daveed had a high probability of making it through the night, but you had seen enough tears for one night. Emotionally, you were drained.

“Dr. (Y/L/N)”, someone yelled from behind you

As soon as you turned around, you were wrapped in a warm hug. You smelled the smoke from their clothing before you realized who it was. Rafa was shaking against you. He lost any ability to keep himself together. Several tears slipped down his cheek and on to your lab coat.

“Thank you”, he sobbed, “For everything”

You squeezed him as tight as you could. He buried his face against your shoulder, hiding his face from everyone that passed by.

“He’ll pull through, Rafa. You shouldn’t have anything to worry about”

“But I do”, he mumbled

He moved away from you wearing so many emotions at once. He was lost, upset, and scared. Rafa could no longer look you in the eyes.

“It’s my fault he’s…I should’ve…”

You grabbed his hand and he aimlessly followed. When you were in your office, you shut the door and sat him on the couch. You sat next to him, trying to console him.

“What happened?”

He never pulled his hand away because he needed some type of comfort, anything to get him through this.

“I should get back to–”

“Daveed will be fine. Oak is still there remember? And our team is still on the same floor”, you smiled reassuringly, “Tell me what happened”

“We thought everyone was out of the building, but a man couldn’t find his son. He was about to go in a burning building by himself. I know I did a full sweep of his apartment before I left and I didn’t see anyone else”

Rafa leaned back against the couch and threw his arm over his eyes.

“Daveed runs back inside to look again. He knew the integrity of the building was shotty, but he went in anyway. He found the kid hiding in someone else’s apartment. Somehow, the kid made it out, but there was a blast and Daveed was still inside. We got to him before it started to collapse”

He sighed as more tears streamed down his cheeks. His shoulders began to shake as he tightened his grip on your hand.

“Rafa–”

“Don’t say it”

“Why? Because it’s true? It wasn’t your fault. None of this is. No one could have known he would be in someone else’s apartment”

“I know, but even if Daveed didn’t go in, someone’s child would have died and that would still be on me”, he groaned

“When we’re presented with tough decisions or struggling to deal with the aftermath of our decisions, my boss always tells us to weigh out the pros and cons. I would say a pretty big pro is someone’s child is still alive tonight”

“True, but a pretty big con is that Daveed is in the hospital”

“Daveed can return to work good as new in a few months”

“I feel guilty. Is that a con?”, Rafa sighed

“That’s expected. I would argue that it shouldn’t, but then again, I’m not a firefighter. It’s easy to feel guilt in most situations, especially when you can’t control the outcome, but how do you manage it? Will you wallow in it or do something to prevent it from happening again?”

You watched Rafa relax into the couch. He loosened his grip a little. The stress he felt dwindled little by little. He had to believe that Daveed would be alright. Everyone made it out the building, some were injured, but no one died. That was supposed to be a win, yet he still felt like there was a slight weight on his chest.

“You sure you’re not a therapist or something?”

“I’m sure”, you laughed, “I majored in psychology for undergrad”

Rafa smiled at hearing your laugh. You could tell he needed to get his mind off of everything.

“You want to get something to eat from the cafeteria? We can eat outside”

Rafa followed you outside. The conversation flowed effortlessly. He noticed your soft smile when you mentioned your family or how excited you were when he mentioned that he loves the same shows you do.

Your shift ended an hour ago and Rafa was beginning to yawn. You decided to walk him back to Daveed’s room before you left. He felt at ease for once. Rafa knew he wanted to see you again but not just because you talked him down when he felt like he was losing his mind, you shared the same interests, and he wanted to see your smile again. He felt corny just thinking about it, yet he knew it was the truth.

“Thank you for everything”, he chirped as you stepped in the room

Oak had fallen asleep in one of the chairs an hour ago. He kept an eye on Daveed while Rafa was away.  

“It’s my job”

“I mean for helping me. I wasn’t sure I would make it through the night and somehow you’ve made it bearable”

“You can stop by when you want”, you grinned

Rafa grinned back, “Daveed still has to go to physical therapy, right? What kind of friend would I be if I made him go through this on his own?”

“I’ll see you tomorrow then”

“I hope so”

You left the room, ready to crawl in your bed. There was a big chance you would have a certain man on your mind before you drifted off to sleep.

After you left, Oak cracked open one eye, “Did you at least get her number?”

Rafa jumped at his voice, “Were you eavesdropping?”

“You saw me when you walked in. Of course I was listening”

“I’ll ask for it tomorrow”

“If you’re going to see her so soon, at least go back to the station and shower. You wreak”

“I don’t want to leave until he wakes”, he said as watched Daveed sleep

“I’ll bring your stuff after I get some sleep”

* * *

Rafa was in a deep sleep when he felt something hit his face. This time it hit his nose. Then his cheek.

“What the–”, he cursed

When he opened his eyes, Daveed smirked at him as he balled up another piece of paper.

“Took you long enough”, he smiled, “Shouldn’t you be resting?”

“I was until you started throwin’ shit”

“I mean at home”

“Decided to stay here. No big deal”

“Awww”, Daveed grinned, “You care about me”

“Shut. Up. Don’t we need to call the nurse or something?”

“They already came in. I told them not to wake you”

“Has the doctor come by already?”, he tried to ask without suspicion

Daveed quirked a brow before asking, “You mean the one you’ve been drooling over since you got here? No, she hasn’t stopped by, but I have some things I need to say to her. First of all, she can do better”

They both burst into a fit of laughs.

“You better not”

“I have physical therapy. I have all the time in the world to tell her about you leaving your socks all around your apartment or the fact that you always drink the last bit of milk, then leave the carton in the fridge”

“It’s there for a reminder”

“That’s actually pretty gross”, Rafa heard from behind him

Rafa jumped and spun around. Daveed did little to contain his amusement. You were standing right behind Rafa, looking and feeling more refreshed than you did before.

“Dr. (Y/L/N)”, he beamed, “You look…well”

Daveed let out an exasperated sigh, feeling second hand embarrassment for his best friend.

“Thank you. So do you”

There was a moment of silence before you directed all your attention to Daveed.

“How are you feeling?”, you asked as you checked his vitals, “You’re blood pressure and heart rate are still the same, which is good”

“My side is starting to hurt”

You saw that his IV had run out, which was probably the reason why he was in pain.

“I’ll have the nurse come in and give you a refill. Can you move your toes?”

You moved his blankets from his feet and watched as he concentrated. All of his toes were moving except for his pinky toes.

“This is promising. Only your pinky toes didn’t move. Looking good Daveed”

He smiled brightly as you called in a nurse to give him his medication.

Within a few minutes he began to yawn. He was beginning to sink into the bed, trying to blink his eyes to stay awake.

“I’ll still be here when you wake up”, Rafa reassured him

“Good”, he yawned, “Now ask her out…before it’s too late”

Rafa’s eyes widened as his friend dozed off.

“He likes to…Daveed just…”

“I might have a break coming up soon. We can get lunch or something”

“I’d like that”, Rafa agreed

“You wait here and I’ll be back later to check on my favorite patient”

“You’re favorite patient”, he chuckled, “Oh hell no. Let me tell you about your favorite patient. First of all, he’s an ass”

You burst out laughing as Rafa ticked off all the things that annoyed him about his best friend. You had a feeling you would find out more about Daveed than you should if you let him continue.

You quickly pressed a kiss into his cheek, knowing he would grow silent.

“I’ll be back later to check on my favorite firefighter”

Rafa allowed the dreamy grin to spread across his face as he sat down. All he could do was wave as you left him in the room.


End file.
